The US government is eschewing paper straws and going back to plastic. So why are the plastic variety restricted in many countries around the world in the first place?
Oh common, are we really circling this discussion forever?
We need to reduce burning fossil fuels, everything else is nice, but doesn’t really make a dent in the graphs.
You are totally right saying:
We need to reduce burning fossil fuels
Still, we live in a triple planetary crisis, which includes 3 issues:
- climate crisis
- biodiversity loss
- garbage/pollution
Please, do keep in mind that these issues intersect and this is why they need to be tackled in the same time.
I remember my physics teacher - a most rational man - telling us that complaining about burning plastic waste was stupid. Of all the oil extracted from the ground, only a small fraction is turned into plastic. All the rest, the vast majority, is burned as fuel. Burning the rest, too, does not really make a difference. Heck, it could even be better for the environment, as trash incinerator facilities (at least here) have so strong legal requirements for filtering their output that the 90%+ of normal burners like cars, ships, trains, and central heatings just can’t compete.
Use paper straws, still wrap them in plastic. Mission failed successfully.
